Better MPG

[mogu83]

Just to stir the pot even more.
I live at sea level (25feet) and when I ride out West (Denver and West) I notice an increase in my gas mileage. With electronic fuel injection and a closed loop system, altitude factors in also.

[roger l]

My milage numbers are with NO side cases.

Roger L

[David R]

On any fuel injected bike I have owned, mileage goes down as it gets colder. Short trips around the city from work with lots of cold starts make the mileage drop quickly.

No complaints about the R. My RT burned a lot more fuel in the city too. The new R is just more fun to ride around town.

David

[psycle.vt]

Re Avg MPG vs Instantaneous - the Cam heads have both I believe, the older bikes like my 09 just avg.
When the strip is working on my bike, the miles to empty is incredibly accurate as you get down to the end. I had one really good ride (fortunately) on the Natchez Trace (few gas stations) and filled with 9 miles showing as left on the guage and a bit under 290 miles.
Currently riding in NJ (relatively flat compared to home in VT) and am getting mid 40s traveling at speed limit with temps in the upper 20s(F) to mid 40s

[Woland]

I average at 5,6l/100km over the last 20k km's. That's usually with panniers and a mix of urban, highway and rural roads. I´m a rather big guy and have been known to twist the wrist on occasion.

I've found that city riding and high speed stuff pushes the average up significantly where as riding along in the country side at 70-80km/h brings me down to 5,0l/100km or below.

[Dr. Strangelove]

what is the conversion factor from liters consumed per 100km to miles per gallon. Let me google that for you.
http://www.calculateme.com/cGasMileage/ ... mtoMPG.htm

5.6/100km = 42 mpg

that's real close to what I'm getting, btw

[Woland]

what is the conversion factor from liters consumed per 100km to miles per gallon. Let me google that for you.
http://www.calculateme.com/cGasMileage/ ... mtoMPG.htm

I know perfectly well how to convert from l&km to mpg, its just that I refuse to use an archaic and inefficient system for units and measurements

[Dr. Strangelove]

Ha!
your "refus(al) to use an archaic and inefficient system for units and measurements," probably has something to do with contaminated or (Sweden) frozen precious bodily fluids.

And I was speaking for me, using a very generic, perhaps a sort of "reflexive" "you." I've always just glossed over that measurement until yesterday. The metric system is more "scientific," use it everyday, but on our side of the pond it has taken little hold. We can be archaic and inefficient that way

BTW, I contacted my shop about the fuel sensor strip. Since I bought the bike from the shop's owner, BMW Motorcycles of Baton Rouge, and it was maintained there, and I had specifically asked if there was a problem with the strip during the bike's history and was assured prior to sale that it was fine, because of all that, I asked if "something could be worked out for repair?" The answer was "No, it's a used bike." Although I can understand their position, it could have been handled a little more diplomatically I think?
$342 to R&R--2 hours labor, 122 for the part. (kr 2283)
I accepted that because then it will be under warranty, 2 years unlimited mileage, no charge to replace. Yes, I do set the trip odometer with each fill, but I am still learning the bike and often I find that I forget to reset, or I have taken off and see the display showing total miles--why?-- and have to press button 2 to get back to Trip I--that it was set on when I stopped-- press it while in motion.
The yellow "idiot" light was made for me as a fail safe. It's just simpler, when it's working.
Perhaps as I "mature" into the bike I won't depend on it as much. But maybe I won't.

John

[Josh]

I live in Upstate NY and have been told that, at this time of year, the gas has a winter formula, different from summer. And that with the winter formula your mpg goes down considerably. Happens to my R12R, R1150GS and airheads.

Josh

[arp]

In practice the function of the fuel strip on my USA 2012 R1200R Classic is to keep the yellow fuel warning light from remaining on continuously. Any other info it provides is ignored. I'm on my third. The first one was DOA and replaced at the 600mi service. The second one failed just before the 6,000mi service.
I'm now at 11,000mi.

For fuel management I've found the average MPG readout to be quite accurate (+/- 1MPG) and functions whether the fuel strip is working or not. I know from my very first fill up the tank holds at least 5.0 US Gallons when topped up as per the rider's manual (ie. to the bottom of the red filler neck). Since the bike seemed to stutter going up a hill just prior to that fill up, I do not plan on testing that limit any further. 4 to 4.5 Gal fill ups are my target. After resetting the average MPG reading and one trip odometer at each fill up, I just do some math. Noodling around town in traffic my average MPG above 40, so my range is 180mi. Up in the mountains the average can get to just above 50 MPG, so my range is 225 mi. Typically I'm getting 45-47 MPG, so my target range is a conservative 200 mi (with system panniers and premium gas that has 10% ethanol).

Hopefully with experience I can lower these numbers

I wonder why we are not able to change the odometer, mileage and temperature read outs between US and metric units. My BMW car has this capability. Should be simple.

[Caroanbill]

My consumption has been pretty much constant over 5 years / 50,000km on my 2007. I see three 'levels' ...

I consistently see 5.2l/100km, about 45mpg (US) as my regular consumption - Calsci screen, BMW panniers, 28l topcase. That's running around 4 - 5,000rpm using the gears for engine braking and crisp response. More related to rpm than terrain: it's the same in mountains, plains, winding or open road, and teh same summer or winter.

Freeway riding, or open country 'lope' staying in 6th around 110-120kmph (65-75mph) will see that consumption improve to about 4.7l/100km or 50mpg(US). I rarely see better than 4.7l/100km.

City riding, spirited cornering, or higher speeds will push consumption to 5.7l/100km, about 41 mpg (US). 200km/h sees .. um ...

These numbers are much the same as my old K1100LT - I'm quite happy with them. I know my R1150RS did better, but it didn't have the urge of the 1173 hexhead!!

[Mister Moo]

And now on to windscreens and elevation above sea leavel (ASL) vs. fuel consumption.

The previous owner handed off a bike with a sportscreen and a 20" "touring-for-very-short-persons" windshield. I ignored the sportscreen and kept the 20" plexi in place. So here's a 200-lb guy with the three bag kit and mixed driving, +/- 300-feet ASL, steadily turning 45-mpg by actual calculation. The onboard computer always agrees. Average speed stays around 47 miles/hour.

But I hated the 20" screen and changed to a 25" Cee Bailey barn door; same riding style, same average speed, same bags, same gas. Fuel economy decreased slightly. It's running about 5% less at 43mpg. (I thought the effect would be worse.)

Now comes Spring, warm weather, lots more riding without bags stuffed with gloves, spare jacket and a sweater or two. This week I swapped out the 25" Cee Bailey with the sportscreen and took off the two side bags (they'll go on once in a while or when a trip pops up) and... I dunno. I've only turned 100 miles so far but the change already looks significant. I'll get back with details after 1000 miles.

Incidentally, over eight years and 65,000 miles, my last Goldwing (1800) turned steady-eddie 39.5 miles/gallon under just about any load or condition, mostly along the I-95 corridor or, practically speaking, at 100- to 200-feet ASL. Other than the rare all-day tailwind the only thing that made a change was elevation. Running at 3500-5000 feet ASL fuel consumption dropped a solid 20% to 50mpg or better. I'd have to guess altitude has a lot to do with the variability reported in this thread. Guys in Denver, CO, are going to turn better numbers than riders in Denver, NC.

[Catchina]

So the higher the elevation the less fuel the bike consumes?

[hjsbmw]

So the higher the elevation the less fuel the bike consumes?

That and when it's warmer. The air density is lower in those cases (less molecules per volume), but the optimal mixture ratio stays the same, i.e. less fuel must get injected to hold the ratio. The EFI takes over there.

[Catchina]

So the higher the elevation the less fuel the bike consumes?

That and when it's warmer. The air density is lower in those cases (less molecules per volume), but the optimal mixture ratio stays the same, i.e. less fuel must get injected to hold the ratio. The EFI takes over there.

Good to know, I'll be riding in Colorado this July over 10,000 feet above sea level getting better than normal mpg

[deilenberger]

Good to know, I'll be riding in Colorado this July over 10,000 feet above sea level getting better than normal mpg

You MAY get better MPG.. thing is - the less oxygen/fuel = less power, so if you twist the throttle to get the same power as you are used to, you mileage savings goes away.

Cloud/silver-lining sort of thing. Sometimes the silver-lining doesn't happen and it's just a cloud.

[Lost Rider]

I currently get about 45-48 MPG on my 2008 R1200R. Is there anything that can be done to improve the mileage per gallon? What about a Performance Controller?

I have been experiencing a very consistent 25+ mile increase per tank since installing the Bazzaz fuel controller. The techs at Bazzaz said I should see MPG improvements for highway cruising since the stock map was rich in that throttle/rpm range, turns out they were right.

[Catchina]

Good to know, I'll be riding in Colorado this July over 10,000 feet above sea level getting better than normal mpg

You MAY get better MPG.. thing is - the less oxygen/fuel = less power, so if you twist the throttle to get the same power as you are used to, you mileage savings goes away.

Cloud/silver-lining sort of thing. Sometimes the silver-lining doesn't happen and it's just a cloud.

Sounds like the mpg + and - will even out, in any case I am looking forward to my first Colorado trip.

[motoracer8]

I did a round trip to Phoenix two weeks ago, 2500 miles. My mileage was a low of 42 to a hi of 62.

[rad]

I'm also somewhat concerned about MPG, but for a different reason than some others. I like a good tank range.

The money part is important but it does not make as big a difference in cost over many miles as we sometimes think. If you do some quick math, going from 45mpg to 50mpg by way of very restrained riding saves a person in the US paying $4.00/gal about $450 over the course of 50,000 miles!

I wouid rather pay $450 and rip it up for 50,000; just my thinking.